Michelangelo produced several drawings related to Christ's sufferings (Crucifixion, Descent from the Cross, Lamentation, Pietà) during his long career. The final decades of his life were characterized by a heightened religious feeling. His thinking was influenced by the leading personalities in the church reform movement, but the most important influence was that of the poetess Vittoria Colonna (c. 1491-1547), who had been linked to Michelangelo by a close platonic friendship since around 1534. In 1538 Colonna presented Michelangelo with a copy of her poems, which had just been published, and the artist gave her a number of religious drawings, including a Crucifixion.

After 1555, Michelangelo executed a series of impressive drawings depicting the crucified Christ in the presence of the Virgin Mary and St John. In these scenes Michelangelo refrained from any scenic elements, leaving the background completely neutral. Each of these drawings depicts fundamental human emotions in a very different manner; the sheets are among Michelangelo's most moving creations.

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The Crucifixion of Christ and the Two Thieves
1522-24
Red chalk, 394 x 281 mm
British Museum, London